Steaming device



Sept. 15, 1942. l. c. CHILD STEAMING DEVICE Filed Dec. '7, 1940 [WI E17 7:3? I 1/0/1 C. /7//d Patented Sept. 15, 1942 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE STEAMING DEVICE Ivan C. Child, Joliet, Ill.

Application December 7, 1940, Serial No. 368,988

1 Claim.

The present invention relates to a steam generating device adapted to rapidly produce steam for the purpose of steaming ladies and mens hats in retail hat establishments, for the steaming of clothes and materials in retail shops and for general use wherever it is necessary to rapidly produce steam in small quantities at small expense and with little inconvenience.

It is an object of this invention to provide a portable type of steaming device for clothes, cloth materials, hats and the like, said device adapted to rapidly produce steam which is permitted to escape through the nozzle or opening of an outlet tube.

It is also an object of this invention to provide a portable type of steaming device wherein a safety switch arrangement is provided for automatically shutting off the operation of the heating unit when the device becomes too hot resulting from the exhaustion of the water supply.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a clothes steaming device, of a portable type, wherein water is rapidly converted into steam by a heating unit which is electrically controlled by a main switch mechanism and which may be automatically controlled by a thermostatically controlled secondary or safety switch which is operable when the supply of water in the device is exhausted or when the heat becomes excessive due to other causes.

It is an important object of this invention to provide an improved simplified type of portable steaming device for rapidly producing steam in small quantities for use in steaming hats and clothes in retail establishments, said device inciuding a main control switch and a secondary or safety switch the latter of which is adapted to be thermostatically controlled and when automatically opened is adapted to be manually restored to closed position by a restoring means which is located so that it will not be accidentally operated.

Other and further important objects of this invention will be apparent from the disclosures in the specification and in the accompanying drawing.

The invention in a preferred form is illustrated in the drawing and hereinafter more fully described.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary vertical view of the steaming device with parts broken away to show section.

Figure 2 is a bottom plan view of the steaming device with the base board omitted.

Figure 3 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical detail section taken on line III-III of Figure 2 and illustrating the details of the thermostatically controlled safety switch mechanism in full line in normal closed position and in dotted line open position when the bimetallic control switch is flexed.

As shown in the drawing:

The improved steam generating device is of a portable type and is adapted to produce steam rapidly in small quantities adapted for use in steaming hats, clothes and the like in retail establishments, for home use or in other places where small quantities of steam are temporarily required for steaming purposes.

The improved steaming device consists of a baseboard or foundation plate I constructed of wood or other suitable material. The base I is provided with a vertical opening 2 in which the lower end of a guide sleeve 3 is secured. Slidably engaged in the guide sleeve 3 is a switch restoring button or post 4 which projects up through the guide sleeve 3 and is provided with a diametrical stop pin 5 the ends of which project outwardly to seat against the upper end of the guide sleeve 3 to limit the downward movement of the control button or post 4, as clearly illustrated in Figure 1. The lower end of the control button or post 4 terminates within the lower end of the opening 2 and is clearly out of the way so that the button will not be accidently operated. In order to operate the button or push the same inwardly it is necessary to raise the base I to permit access to be had to the lower end of the button to push the same upwardly as hereinafter more clearly described in the operation of the auxiliary switch mechanism.

Mounted upon the base I is a water supply tank or reservoir 6 provided with a raised bottom 1 having a central opening in which a water conveying tube or pipe 8 has one end secured to project into the tank 6 to provide an outlet for water. Removably supported on the upper end of the water supply tank 6 is a water bottle 9 which is inverted with the neck thereof projecting downwardly into the upper end of the tank 6.

The connecting tube 8 which has one end engaged in the bottom of the tank 6 projects across the top of the base I and has the other end thereof bent upwardly to project into the bottom plate In of a water heating container II which is mounted in and spaced from the inner walls of an outer protecting housing or casing I2. The

space between the water container H and the housing [2 is filled with filling l3 of cement or other suitable material in which a heating coil I4 is embedded and coiled around the water container II for the purpose of heating the water and converting the same into steam.

Secured in the upper end of the casing l2 and connected up with the upper end or forming an integral part of the water container I l is a steam tube or pipe I?) which projects upwardly out of the upper end of a protecting casing Hi. The protecting casing I6 is secured upon the top surface of the base I.

Connecting the tank and the outer protecting casing I5 is a casing or housing I! the walls of which have the lower margins thereof provided with flanges which are secured to the top of the base I.

Mounted in one wall of the connecting casing or housing ll is an inlet bushing unit I 8 through which an electrical cord l9 projects. The outer end of the electric cord I9 is provided with an electric plug to be inserted into an electric socket for supplying the electrical energy necessary to operate the device. The electric cord IS in cludes two wires 2i] and 2!. The wire connects up with a terminal 22 to which the lower end of the coil E4 is connected. The wire 2| con-- meets up to one terminal 23 of a main switch 24 which is mounted in one of the walls of the casing l! with the switch button or lever 25 projecting outwardly into a convenient position to be operated to control the electric circuit to the heating coil I 4.

Connected to the second terminal 25 of the main switch 24 is one end of an angle shaped switch spring 2'! which extends downwardly and is then bent at an angle to provide a lower contact arm 28 which forms a part of a thermostatic secondary or safety switch unit provided between the main switch 24 and the heating coil !4, within the housing H as clearly illustrated in Figure 1. The free end of the spring arm 28 of the switch spring 2? is normally engaged on a retaining hook 29 formed on the lower end of a switch spring 36. The switch spring member 38 has the upper end thereof secured to a terminal post 3! on the inner end of which the upper end of the heating coil I4 is attached. The spring members 2'! and 30 form the secondary or safety switch for the device and said members are normally in closed position as shown in full line in Figures 1 and 3.

For the purpose of obviating accident such as the burning out of the heating coil I4 when all the water in the device has been converted into steam a thermostatic control element is provided for governing the opening of the safety switch mechanism. The control element consists of a bimetallic arm or strip 32. The thermostatic element 32 consists of two superimposed strips of different kinds of metal having difierent coeiiicients of expansion which causes the element 32 when the temperature reaches a predetermined degree within the casing I! to curl inwardly toward the safety switch element 30 to disengage the lower hook end 29 thereof from beneath the free end of the switch spring arm 28 to release the same. When the switch arm 28 is released the inherent spring action of the element 27 will cause the arm 28 to swing downwardly from the full line position illustrated in Figure 1 into he dotted line position. When the safety switch is open the electric circuit to the heating coil I4 is automatically broken thereby preventing burning out of the coil when the water is all used up and the temperature within the device advances above a predetermined limit.

In order to again use the steaming device water is supplied to the tank 6 and to the container ll. With the main switch button 25 moved into an oiT position the operator has only to lift the device and push the restoring button or post 4 upwardly in the guide sleeve 3 thereby causing the safety switch spring arm 28 to be moved back into its upper or normal position permitting the hook end 29 of the safety switch spring arm 36 to engage beneath the switch arm F8 thereby holding the emergency switch in closed position. The steaming device having having been supplied with water and the emergency or safety switch having been closed the device is again ready to rapidly produce steam when the .rain switch 24 is closed to cause the heating coil 14 to heat the water in the container H to produce the required steam which is permitted to escape through the upper end of the steam outlet tube I5.

It will of course be understood that various details of construction may be varied through a wide range without departing from the principles of this invention and it is, therefore, not the purpose to limit the patent granted hereon otherwise than necessitated by the scope of the appended claim.

I claim as my invention:

In a steaming device including a casing carrying a heating element and defining a reservoir for water, a first springy switch arm having one end secured to said casing and having its other end free and normally spaced from said casing, abutment means on the free end of said arm, a support, a second springy switch arm disposed substantially normal to said first arm, said second arm having one end secured to said support and having its free end normally seated on said abutment means when in circuit-closing relation to said first arm, and a bimetallic arm having one end secured to said casing and having its other end free and normally spaced from said casing, the free end of said bimetallic arm being movable under the influence of heat to engage the free end of said first arm for movement thereof towards said casing to release the free end of said second arm for movement to circuitopening position.

IVAN C. CHILD. 

